Fleur de Leigh in Exile by Diane Leslie

Author:Diane Leslie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2004-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

By Sunday morning Twyla, Melly, and Sparky had fully recovered from their debauchery, but all of my symptoms remained in full effect. My nausea kept me slumped in my drooping bed, wondering if anything short of decapitation could cure my headache.

Not until late Sunday afternoon did my roommates interrupt their vigil over me. “We won’t be gone for more than half an hour,” Melly softly explained as she placed a bucket on the floor next to me. “Before the cleaning crew shows up, we’re going to the stable to exercise Gwendolyn. The three of us can manage the one of her, we figure.”

I’d forgotten the horse entirely. And because it hurt so much to speak, I didn’t mention my gratitude for the solitude.

Not twenty minutes later, into my dark, fouled lair stepped Mr. Prail. “Hello,” he said, sounding almost cheery. “I’m making the rounds. Mrs. Prail and I have just returned from far-flung Maine. I inhaled pine trees, mountains, and ocean, and I am refreshed.” His next thought, born of innocence, was for me. “What’s wrong? You’re ill, are you?”

My veins pulsed with fear. “A migraine. Any light hurts my eyes. Any sound—” I moaned. “But I’ll be all right, really, if you’ll just please leave me alone.”

“Maybe we better get Jo Ella in here to examine you,” he said in a worried tone.

“NO, I beg of you!” I cried out even though it hurt to do so.

“Well, then, I’ll ask her to bring you some broth.”

“No, please, I’ll be fine if you’ll just let me sleep.”

Mr. Prail had nearly taken his leave when he turned back to check on me one last time. Like Orpheus’s affectionate backward glance at Eurydice, it proved cataclysmic. “What is this? What’s happened here?” he asked. “Surely my eyes deceive me.” He switched on the light.

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